PMQs: Bad-Tempered Affair and a Narrow Win for Cameron

By

Iain Martin

Feb 10, 2010 1:39 pm GMT

Goodness, Gordon Brown and David Cameron really, really, really don’t like each other. As the election inches closer, the pair’s mutual hatred becomes ever more apparent every time they face each other in the Commons.

PMQs today was a pretty bad-tempered affair — with little light, shade or humor. But at the center of the scrapping was a victory of sorts for the Tory leader.

EPA

The Tories have put up posters saying that the government plans a £20,000 “death levy” to pay for care for the elderly. It’s said elsewhere to be pretty dispiriting stuff, as there is no definite Labour plan to demand such a payment.

But remember, this is an election. Is anyone really, honestly, surprised that both major parties are making somewhat tendentious claims about each others plans? And that the Lib Dems are being pompous about it from the the middle? There is a long and noble British democratic tradition of this stretching back generations.

At PMQs Cameron asked Brown to rule out the £20,000 levy. Brown said the Tory poster was wrong but when repeatedly pressed he declined to give a guarantee a levy would not be introduced. This was odd. Surely the PM should just have said that no, all things considered, you won’t have to stump up £20,000? But he didn’t, he prevaricated and created the impression that there was something to hide.

These weren’t remotely elevating exchanges — they were pretty depressing all round. But the Tory leadership will be content that for the second week, Brown had an unhappy PMQs. His considerable progress on that front has been halted and reversed by his opponent.